


This Life We Live

by MugOfAtmosphere



Category: Pocket Monsters: Sword & Shield | Pokemon Sword & Shield Versions
Genre: Other
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-12-03
Updated: 2020-01-06
Packaged: 2021-02-26 06:28:01
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 6
Words: 12,696
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21659059
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/MugOfAtmosphere/pseuds/MugOfAtmosphere
Summary: Various short stories about Hop and reader growing up.  Story has been edited from its original format to fit a reader-insert type story. Original is about a Pokemon Trainer OC named Summer and her life growing up with the character Hop, from pokemon sword and shield.
Relationships: Pokemon Hop/Reader, Pokemon Trainer Hop/Reader, Rival Hop/Reader
Comments: 14
Kudos: 102





	1. Let's Be Best Friends Forever!

**Author's Note:**

> This story was edited from its original format to fit a gender neutral reader insert character. Original story was about a Pokemon Trainer OC named Summer. Personalities have not been swapped so reader will be on the more timid/shy side. Please keep in mind there will be no NSFW even as the characters age up. Hop is, and will currently always be a minor even if in this story he ages past 18, so NSFW will not be written. Just hand holding, soft kisses, and cuddles. ( I also hate writing NSFW so please respect that, thank you! )
> 
> There may be times where the order of chapters may change and this is due to the fact all chapters are part of short drabbles I write when they come to mind. If a new chapter is added and rearranged I will have a note stating so.
> 
> Character speech will be in American English because I don't know British English :') Forgive me.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> You and Hop meeting as children :>! Chapter updated 04DEC2019

It had been a nasty divorce between your parents. Your father being someone your mother and yourself couldn’t rely on. Leaving the family for days, weeks, even months with no word. Spending the family money on luxury items instead of needed utilities. Someone as self absorbed as your father didn't deserve to be in you and your mothers life. A resentment towards him formed in you from a young age. 

Your mother eventually filed for divorce, and gained full custody of you once she had enough. Not that you didn’t mind any of the divorce situation until your mother announced the both of you were moving to a smaller farm town, away from the bigger city you currently resided in. Away from all your current friends that you spent time with frequently. Away from all the fun events that were held often. Away from what you had grown up knowing as home for the past six to seven years. 

A month after the divorce was finalized, your mother packed everything that belonged to the two of you and left for the new house she purchased with her savings that was hidden from your father. The home was warmer and more welcoming than the apartment you were previously living in. This one had a basement and more space for you to play both inside and outside. The fields surrounding were filled with fluffy wooloo and sweet budew. You were excited until you realized you had no friends, no one to play with except your mothers munchlax and whatever pokemon roamed about the area that were fairly tame. Your concern was brought to your mother rather quickly.

“Oh baby doll, don’t worry. The neighbors have a little boy your age! We’re going to be meeting them for dinner tomorrow night!” Your mother soothed her child’s fears of no longer having friends that were human. You hugged your mom, then began helping set up your home. Most of your time was set decorating and sorting your own room with your mother. It was generally well kept, your toys organized, and various posters of pokemon you found cute. 

—

Your mom put you in a clean outfit. Something simple for a 6 year old , but something you could easily roughhouse and play in if you were to get along with the neighbor boy. A F/C t-shirt, dark colored overalls, and your favorite pair of sneakers was the outfit your mother had picked out. The outfit was comfortable and easy to move about in and that's all that mattered to your young heart.

“Mommy… what if we don’t get along… what if their son is a Pokémon!” you made goofy outlandish claims as the pair of you made your way over. The young child in their solid black over walls clung to their mothers hand, nervous butterflies growing in their stomach as they approached closer. What if this neighbor kid hated you? what if they became your mortal and sworn enemy? 

“I’ve already met him. He is a very charming young boy… his name is Hop!” You stared up at your her mom as the two reached the door. Your mother gently knocked on the door and there was thumping sounded on the other side. The door slowly opened and the smell of warmth and food hit the two of you with a comforting feel. A women around the same age as your mom opened the door, greeting you. 

“Oh M/N!! I’m glad you were able to make it! “ she then looked down at you and bent down, “and you must be Y/N! Your mother has told me so much about you!” 

You gave a shy smile and hid behind your mothers leg. A high child's voice then called from behind the other women. 

“Mom!! Is that the new neighbors ! ?” A small boy around the same height as you came sliding into view.

“It is! They’re joining us for dinner. Now move to the side a bit so they can come in!” Hop's mother moved and motioned for the two inside. You clung to your mother , feeling nervous about meeting new people. You stared at Hop, who excitedly bounced around a bit before stopping when he caught sight of you. It was quiet and a long pause while the two stared at each other. 

“Go on sweetie say hi..” Your mother put a hand on the back of her child, edging you towards the young golden eyed boy. Quickly Hop stood straight and held out his hand, a furious blush crossing his face. 

“H-hi!! I’m Hop!!” He didn’t make eye contact, he only stared intensely at the ceiling. Both mothers chuckled, whispering to each other. 

“Looks like someone’s got a crush already.” They giggled to each other then left the area to go to the kitchen, making sure the door was shut before they left. You watched nervously as your mother walked away, then stared at Hop with a look of fear and curiosity. Hop looked at you and tilted his head. He noticed how you hugged yourself while watching his hand, fear across your face. He gently smiled and slowly moved closer to you. 

“Lets be friends! I won’t let anything hurt you!” He gave you a wide, friendly smile, his hand still held out. You watched him, curiosity getting the better of you as you slowly reached out and shook his hand. He gripped yours and then pointed up the stairs excitedly. 

“I have lots of toys! I can show them to you and we can play with them! “ he said and guided you up to his room. You followed Hop willingly, feeling less nervous and more calm around this excitable boy. Something about him made you feel less nervous to be meeting him. 

“O-okay…” You said softly, letting him guide you up the stairs. He checked back on you every few steps, making sure you were following him despite him holding your hand carefully. 

“What’s your name? I’m Hop!” He asked, making sure he wasn't going to miss his step at the top. 

“Y/N…” You said, making it the last step and following him into his room. 

“You have a nice name! I like it!” Hop paused and went to his toy chest, taking out some toys, “ I think we’re going to be best friends forever, Y/N!” You smiled at that thought. He liked your name and offered to play with you. Maybe you didn’t have anything you needed to be worried about. Any of the silly thoughts you had on the way over flew out of memory as you decided to make this boy your friend. 

“Yeah!!” You exclaimed, cheerfully running over to him and his toys. Hop handed you a toy, chattering away about each one he took out. He explained where he got them and what their names were. You nodded along, holding each one he handed to you with care and setting them down when your hands were full. Occasionally you'd ask a question about one and Hop would make up a story for them. The young boy before you felt immense joy to be sharing his things with someone his age. He had a good feeling he would be sharing stories of the adventures you both would go on to his brother in the near future when his brother returned from the Gym Challenge.


	2. Let's Start the Gym Challenge!

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Chapter updated on 04DEC2019

Hop raced over to your house through the melting snow, entering without knocking. You both had been such close friends over the years that you two would freely enter each other’s homes and your parents didn’t seem to mind. 

“Y/N!!” Hop yelled, taking off his shoes to be polite and not track dirty water in his friends home. Your mom peeked out of the kitchen, giving Hop a soft smile before speaking. 

“Y/N in their room, Hop!” She said, grinning and welcoming his excited personality into the house. 

“Thank you Miss. M/N!” Hop scampered past and opened your door, seeing you on your bed watching a video off your rotom phone. At the sight of Hop, the rotom made a face, sticking its tongue out at him. 

“Y/N!” Hop launched himself onto your bed, tackling you into a big hug. You let out a startled yelp and your rotom phone flew up into the air to avoid getting smacked, scowling as it came to a rest at the best side table. Hop nuzzled his face into your shoulder/neck, then looked up at you with a big smile. 

“H-hop! What are you doing?” You squeaked at your best friend who had just disturbed you from watching a replay of the previous season of the Gym Challenge. You scowled for a moment before returning the hug. Hop rolled over onto his side so he wasn’t crushing you into your bed anymore and propped up his head with an arm, staring at you with a very excited smile. 

“The next season of the Gym challenge starts soon! I just got my hands on a wooloo of my own from the farm and my brother is coming to visit right before the challenge starts in a few months!” He exclaimed excitedly. You stared up at your friend, confused as to why he was planning so early. Hops dream was to defeat his brother and become the new champion, you knew this very well. However you didn't expect him to start planning on joining as soon as the snow began melting in the local area.

“Are you joining? And are you talking about that strange supposed champion of a brother I have yet to meet despite knowing you for over a decade?” You gave him a cheeky smile, raising a brow when talking about his brother, Leon. 

“Yes and yes. He said he’s bringing us Pokémon when he comes for his family visit! I’m going to try and see if he will sponsor us for the gym challenge! “ Hops eyes sparkled with determination, a large grin set to his face as he held a fist up to his chest. 

“Wait, Hop…” You frowned at your friend, looking away slightly, “I don’t want to be a trainer… or champion for that matter.. you know I wanna be a professor.” You looked back up with concern in your eyes. Hop returned your frown, heavily disappointed, then an idea sparked in his mind. 

“You won’t have to be champion! I’ll be champion! I just…” Hop paused and grabbed his friends hand, “ I just want you to be on this adventure with me…” he got quiet near the end, worried this is where they would be parting ways. He wasn’t ready for that yet. His hand squeezed yours at the thought of parting, “I’m not ready yet to go on an adventure without you…” he admits, looking away, heavily embarrassed for admitting that he would miss you. 

You sighed and squeezed his hand back. You gave him a warm smile, then poked his nose. Hop glanced back at your, going cross eyed as you booped him. 

“I’ll only do this if you promise me YOU will become the champion. “ you sat up with a sigh, a very small yet soft smile playing at your lips. Hop pushed himself up excitedly, looking at your like an excited yamper. 

“Really!? T-then I promise !!” Hop hugged his best friend once again, burying his face into your neck as you two crashed back down into the bed. Both of you exploded into a fit of giggled as you did your best to return the hug from your best friend. 

“You know.. it’s so nice and warm in here… and it smells really nice…” Hop let out a small yawn, hugging his friend closer, “I might take a nap.” He stated, feeling content with the moment. You giggled, flushing slightly before sneaking an arm out and wrapping it over his shoulder and massaging his head and playing with his hair. This was a fairly normal occurrence for the two of you when in the privacy of your homes. 

“That’s fine with me, buddy. A nap sounds nice right about now.” You spoke softly in reply, closing your own eyes and snuggling down to get comfortable.


	3. Gym Challenge Finals

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Chapter updated on 04DEC2019

It was time for the Gym Challenge championship, the sun shone brightly above into the stadium and the slow breeze blew petals gently down. You and Hop sat inside the stadium’s locker room staring intently at the door to the pitch. There was silence between you two as you both prolonged the inevitable. Both friends had made it to the semi finals. The two were excited but also dreading the match, both proud of each other for making it this far. 

“Hop…” You broke the silence with your quiet voice and reached over, grabbing your friends hand, gripping it tightly. Neither of you looked at each other. 

“Y/N… I know you’re strong…please don’t go easy on me…” Hop cut his friend off, tightly gripping your hand back, “you’ve beaten me every other time… I’m going to give it my all… give it your all even if it means…” he hesitates, “ even if it means you beat me.” 

It was silent between you both again as you clutched each other’s hands. You looked up at your best friend, his golden eyes meeting your E/C ones with determination. A promise you had made to each other at the start of this sat between you both. A promise neither wanted to break. You nodded at him, and he nodded right back. Your stomach knotted itself together in fear of being the one who would win. A future you didn't want, and a future your best friend deserved more than anything.

“Please win…good luck” You spoke softly then leaned over and gave him a kiss on the cheek. Your face quickly flushed as you let go of his hand and got up, running for the pitch and disappearing behind its automatic doors. Hop sat there for a moment, dumbfounded that his best friend and childhood crush gave him a good luck kiss. His hand that had been holding yours reached up and gently touched his cheek, a small smile and blush forming on his face. 

Hop took a deep breath and stood up, making a fist and pumping himself up. He would win. He would win for you, for everyone who got him to this point, and for himself. He knew he dragged you into this when you were mostly interested in being a professor or breeder. He had wanted you by his side, to have an adventure together, and he had needed you support the entire way. Hop had to win because he knew you never wanted to be champion and he had brought you this far out of selfishness. He had to win, for all the times you picked him up during the adventure you both shared, for all the encouragement you gave him, he just had to win.

The dark haired boy stood up, and made his way to the pitch, determined to win against his ultimate rival, best friend, and teenage crush. A minor feeling of panic and fear started to bubble up, but he suppressed by remembering all the lovely, encouraging words you gave him during the time Bede beat him. The feelings were then flooded with a new found confidence.

—-  
The battle did not go in Hops favor, his confidence in himself quickly diminishing. He could tell you gave it your all like he had asked, like he had done himself. Hop tried to think of all the things you told him, but right in this moment, he could feel failure creeping every closer. Towards the end of the battle when he was running low on Pokémon he could tell you started to panic, carefully taking time to try and get Pokémon that would be weak to his without anyone knowing, using moves that wouldn’t cause too much damage. Hop knew you weren't having much fun anymore and that he was not only hurting himself by losing and breaking the promise, but also you. He sent out his last Pokémon, as he went to dynamax, he could see small tears shine in your eyes. Quickly he turned around, trying to give you a reassuring, confident smile as he tossed. The weight of the ball threw him off balance as he tossed, causing him to stumble a little. When he turned back around he saw a small smile on your face. You giggled at him from when he stumbled and he felt his heart flutter a little. If he was going to lose he didn’t want you too upset. 

Hop watched as you dynamaxed your own pokemon. Of course it was the starters you both received before going on this challenge. He knew he was about to lose since he had the weaker type. He braced for impact as the move from your pokemon went flying at his Pokémon, the move you often used during your playful battles. 

It was over, Hop had no more Pokémon. He had lost. The confetti burst and they blasted your name. The crowd cheered for both of them but this was your win and your name was louder than his. But he could tell you weren't happy and you could tell he wasn’t happy. He scowled at the ground. He knew your team. You had purposely let him see your entire team early on during travel and he should have built his around yours. He turned away from you momentarily to wipe away a few tears of disappointment. Suddenly he heard quick foot steps racing toward him, pounding into the turf, and the crowd gasped at what they saw. He turned right as he saw you launch yourself at him, tears streaming down your face as you knocked him down and repeated apologies to him over and over and over again. You buried your face into his shoulder, grabbing the back of his shirt as you sobbed. 

Hop buried his face into you to hide his tears. He knew you felt terrible. He felt terrible for losing and breaking the promise that he'd win. He also felt great pride in knowing you had come this far, growing every so slightly out of your shell. Hop sniffled slightly as he hugged you tightly, a conflicting mixture of emotions brewing inside him. 

“It’s alright Y/N…you did an amazing job.” Hop whispered in your ear, holding you close as you continued to cry. 

You two hugged out on the field for longer than you should have, causing some of the gym leaders to come out and bring you back to the locker room. Neither of you ever released the others hand on the way back. You separated when Hop had to go change and you went to clean up your face in the bathroom after crying. 

In the bathroom you stared at yourself. All your Pokémon were being healed up and fed for the next battle. You didn’t want to go. This was supposed to be Hop’s dream. You shouldn’t be moving on. You tried to hide the fact you spent 20 minutes crying and clinging to Hop but no matter the amount of cold water towels you applied, the redness stayed. 

You entered the communal locker room to find hop sitting there on the bench from earlier. You made your way over to him and sat down close, putting your hand on top of his. 

“Hop…I’m..I'm sorry…” You began, staring at the floor and trying to figure out what to say. 

“It’s alright… you won fair and square, Y/N.” Hop looked over at his friend with a wide grin. He couldn’t deny that he felt terrible, lost even with his goal gone, but he also felt such pride and joy that his best friend was about to take on the gym leaders again and attempt to defeat his brother.

“I’m glad it was one of us instead of none of us.” Hop leaned closer to you, resting his forehead on yours, causing you to flush slightly. He reached up with his free hand and wiped away some of the tears you were trying to hold back. 

“Is it possible for me to quit and you go instead?” You asked, quiet as a mouse. 

“Don’t do that. It wouldn’t feel right…” Hop spoke just as soft,” please win… please win for me…” he leaned in just as you had done before their match. Their lips met and he kissed you carefully, the breath from his nose gently blowing against your cheek. You were shocked for a moment but followed with. The kiss lasted a few moments and didn’t feel like enough time for either of you when he finally pulled away. Both your faces were flushed as you continued to stare at each other for a few heartbeats longer. It was quiet enough that you could practically hear his heart racing, or maybe it was yours you were hearing. 

“A k-kiss for good luck. Win for me, for your Pokémon, and for... yourself ,Y/N.” Hop got up and shoved one hand in a pocket while the other scratched the back of his head. He stared at your for a moment longer before turning around and leaving the locker room to meet Marnie who had planned to cheer You on from the stands. 

You sat there flushed as red as a tomato. Your gaze followed Hop out of the room. You silently wished he had stayed a few moments longer with you instead of leaving immediately. Suddenly (any gym leader honestly) came out from the bathroom, a hand over their mouth. You looked towards them, mildly embarrassed.

“Sorry Y/N, I didn’t want to disturb you two.” they sent their rotom phone towards you, showing a picture of the two of them kissing. 

“I can send it to you if you want it after the match.” they winked and came over, holding a hand out, “ you ready for our match?” 

You flushed more than You already were and took (any gym leader)'s hand, getting off the bench. You patted your cheeks and shook your hands out, pumping yourself up and trying to focus on the task ahead. Hop asked you to win, and that’s what you were going to do. 

—- 

The image of Hop and Y/N in the locker room before the finals spread quickly among the gym leaders and up to Leon. As he stared at the picture, a mildly devious idea came to him. Of course as Hop’s older brother he had to tease Hop a bit. But he also had to make sure you were good for him. Leon already knew you would be good for Hop but it was still custom as the older brother of course to put a ‘threat’ out there in case some person decided to go breaking his poor baby bro’s heart. 

Leon met you at the pitch for the final battle. you had a few scuffs here and there from taking backlashes of your own and others Pokémon’s moves. The last battle left you dirty and tired thanks to the weather changes but you gave Leon a straight forward determined look. It seemed like the battle with Raihan had spoiled your usually timid personality. 

“Congratulations on making it this far , Y/N! “ Leon put his hands on his hips as he spoke to you, “you’ve made it to the big leagues and I’m so proud of you and all the other trainers who made it to the stadium today!” The Champion began pulling out his rotom phone and swiping around on it. 

You watched him with your increasingly intense and determined glare. You could hear Hop and Marnie’s voice over the crowds, cheering you sweet encouraging words. You were going to win, you had to, just for them, just for Hop. You watched as Leon moved closer to you with a cheeky grin, sliding his phone to you in a way the camera wouldn’t be able to pick up what he was showing. Your eyes grew wide and your face immediately turned bright red as you glanced from the screen up at Leon. 

“Beat me and I won’t show this on the big screen.” Leon winked playfully. He quickly hit send and the image was immediately sent to Hop. The big screens just showed You, obviously flustered but no one knew why. 

Hop grew worried and looked at his phone as he received a buzz. It was a text from Leon. Hop opened it and immediately realized why you were flushing at the pitch. 

“HEY THAT'S NOT FAIR” Hop yelled from his seat, growing hot in the face. His brother loved to tease him just a little too much sometimes, though Hop would never admit he appreciated the picture and saved it to his phone. Leon chuckled when he briefly heard Hops voice over the crowd and put his phone away, stepping back while opening his arms. 

“So shall we get-“ as he began speaking brilliantly, he was interrupted by the big screen. The screen played a live stream of Chairman Rose, claiming he was going to start the darkest day and save the future of Galar. Leon glared at the screen and ran off the pitch a moment later, leaving you alone and the match cancelled. Hop panicked as he watched parts of the field break apart and expose dynamax beams. His eyes caught his brother running away, leaving you on your own. He wuickly crawled over the people in the seats in front of him to reach the edge of the stands. Glancing down, Hop determined it was too high for him to jump down without harming himself. Panicked, Hop frantically looked around to find a quick path to you as the ground started to break under your feet. He watched as you stumbled from the shaking of the ground and yelled out your name. Dubwool pulled itself out of its pokeball, spawning on the field below Hop and calling up to its trainer. Glancing down to see the noise, Hop understood what his partner was trying to tell him and took the leap, landing in the soft fluff of his pokemon. "Thanks buddy...." Hop quickly, and gently , bopped its pokeball on its head so it would return before racing over to you. The young teen grabbed his friend under the arms and gripped tightly as he continued to run, now with Y/N in his arms. He stumbled and curled himself over you when the two of you made it to the edge, protecting you from the bits of debris flying around. Once the debris stopped flying about, he grabbed your hand, pulling you up and dragging you towards the stadium exit to safety. 


	4. Eternatus and Eternity

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I couldn’t remember the exact events for this so I kinda winged it to the best of my ability. Tried to find some walk throughs to help as I didn’t wanna replay the whole game again just for a refresher. Sorry it took a little longer than intended to post. Next few chapters just need some final touches and they’ll be added 👌
> 
> P/N - Pokémon name  
> P/T - Pokémon type/Breed

Hop lead you into the locker room, away from the chaos on the field. He held you close as he watched the pitch doors stutter while trying to close. 

“What is happening !? “ Hop exclaimed, mildly panicked. You wiggled your way out of his grasp and went to your locker where your things were stored. 

“We should go find your brother…” You tried to keep your voice calm but it quivered as you removed your competitor shoes. Opening your locker you started pulling out your usual clothing and your pokeball belt. Hop turned to you and gave you a panicked quizzical look. 

“A good idea but why are you changing now!? Do you really think the gym challenge staff are going to stop you if you leave in uniform?” Hop threw his hands around as he spoke, exaggerating his words. As soon as you started taking your shirt off , Hop turned around immediately, staring furiously at the wall across the other side of the room. 

“I… I don’t know if they’re still here or not! It didn’t look like what was going on in the field really affected the structural integrity of this building…” You quickly changed into your usual clothing. Tossing everything into your bag and putting it on, you grabbed Hop’s hand, causing him to turn around and follow you to the locker room door. 

“We have to find your brother!” You glanced at him as you both raced for the gym exit. 

“Yeah we do, mate ! But where do we even start looking?” Hop gestured with his hand as they ran outside, glancing around. 

“Didn’t the telly show some strange room with energy?” You stopped and looked at your friend, confusion and fear filling your face. You squeezed your friends hand, unsure of what to do but knowing the two of you had to do something.

“I… I don’t know where Chairman Rose would store stuff like that…” Hop looked helplessly at you, squeezing your hand in return. As you kept your eyes glued to your friend, and idea of location popped into your mind. 

“Hey! Remember in Hammerlocke stadium there’s that access door. I remember going up to it and checking it out before my challenge…” you paused, putting a finger to your chin and tapping, “It had a sign for Chairman Rose’s company. Let’s try there!” Your idea gave Hop a bit of hope as he listened. He couldn’t believe how observant You were and it truly fascinated him.

“Well, Let’s go! My Corviknight should be able to carry us both…” Hop took out a pokeball and released his Corviknight. It bent down, allowing him to get on its back. Hop reached out to help you. You wrapped your hands around Hop’s waist tightly as you climbed up, afraid of falling off once his pokemon took off. Hop gave his pokemon a small pat and it nodded, launching itself into the air and flying toward Hammerlock. 

\---

It didn’t take long for the two of you to make it to Hammerlock stadium. Corviknight landed gracefully at the front of the old castle styled gym, bending down slightly to allow you and Hop to get off. You gave the large pokemon a hug, thanking it for the quick ride while Hop took out its pokeball. 

“Thanks mate…” Hop gave a small pat to his pokemon and carefully touched the pokeball to Corviknights head, allowing it to reenter its ball. Tucking the ball away, Hop grabbed your hand and lead you quickly into the stadium lobby.

“Over here..” You pointed to a silver door where Oleana stood, looking rather nervous. 

“Oleana…” You spoke with mild distaste. Oleana turned, feeling relief that both You and Hop were here. She placed her hands on one of your shoulders as well as Hops. 

“P..Please… Chairman Rose is down there...Please help him…” Oleana begged you. You gave the secretary a weird look and gently brushed the secretary’s hand off your shoulder. 

“Is my brother down there?” Hop responded. 

“I believe Champion Leon went down to meet Chairman Rose…” Oleana began but stopped as Hop ran to the elevator and got on, holding the door open to wave for You to follow. You glanced at Oleana before quickly getting on after Hop. As the doors closed, Hop began bouncing, obviously anxious and nervous to find his brother in this situation. You put a hand on his back, causing the young teen to glance down at his friend. 

“We’re going to find him...Don’t worry Hop…” Your hand ran down from his back to his arm and to his hand, grasping it. Hop stopped his bouncing and felt himself calm slightly when your hand met his. Hop nodded and tightened his hand around yours, feeling like things would turn out okay. As the doors opened to the final floor, Hop lead you both out quickly down the hall and to the main room. 

The room was filled with broken large glass vials and a large metal orb cracked open like an egg. Chairman Rose stood in front of the cracked metal orb, staring at it motionless.

“Chairman Rose?” You questioned, your voice shook slightly at the eerie situation before you and Hop. Chairman Rose turned around, a small smug smile on his lips. 

“Where’s my brother!?” Hop shoved himself forward, moving towards Chairman Rose with hostility. You tried to pull Hop back but he ripped his arm away from his friend as his anger and concern got the best of him. 

“H...Hop wait…” You followed after, afraid of seeing your friend angry. You never saw him angry and it gave you a genuine fear to see Hop the way he was now. Hop stood in front of Chairman Rose now, glaring at the older man with pure hate. 

“Your brother is doing what he is supposed to be doing as the regions champion.” Chairman Rose began, looking down at Hop and not batting an eye, “He’s up at the top of the building catching Eternatus.” 

Hop immediately turned away from Chairman Rose and raced passed you, looking for the elevator that would bring them to the top. You called out for your friend to stop but he vanished around the corner. You went to chase after him but paused and turned to Chairman Rose. 

“What is Eternatus?” You hesitated before asking, giving Chairman Rose a stern glare. 

“Eternatus is a pokemon who started the Darkest Day. A very powerful pokemon that will help our future…Only the strongest trainer can...” Chairman Rose was about go one but stopped when he noticed you immediately turn around and race after your friend. 

“HOP!” You called out, finding him waiting by the elevator. He reached out and dragged you in with him. You stumbled into him, being pulled into his chest from his anxious amen hurried tug of your arm.

“Come on, we gotta get to Lee!” Hop urged you, pushing buttons on the side of the elevator as you fixed yourself from being pulled Into your friends chest.

“So Eternatus was the one who started the darkest day? “ You muttered, the doors shutting and the elevator chugging upwards. Hop kept his eyes on the number board, telling them what floor they were on. “ What kind of pokemon could Eternatus be… how does it cause dynamaxing?” You put a hand on your chin as you thought. 

“I don’t know but it sounds dangerous.” Hop responded to your muttering, anxiety and frustration boiling inside him. He bounced lightly on his feet, wanting the elevator to go faster. As the numbers closed in to the top, the more anxiety Hop felt. 

“I hope Leon is okay…I know he’s okay” You gently put a hand on your friends shoulder, trying to calm him down. But as soon as the two doors opened, Hop bolted out and left you behind with no response. You understood his rush and followed as best as you could. Hop made it to the roof where a large skeletal Dragon Pokémon floated before Leon. 

You were soon beside Hop, staring at what you could only assume to be Eternatus. Out of instinct, Hop put an arm out in front of you, as if protecting you. Leon glanced back at the two and gave a confident smirk to the two teens. He tossed a pokeball, attempting to catch the large dragon. Hop slowly made his way over to his brother.

“I was so worried…did you actually catch that?!” Hop exclaimed, it was a matter of seconds after that Leon pushed Hop away. Hop was grabbed by Leons charizard as it flew over to You and protected the two from the failed capture blast. 

“LEON!” Hop called out to his brother once the light from the blast died. Peeking out from behind Charizard, Hop was his brother, kneeling and struggling to get up. He watched as a light grew inside Eternatus’ chest, aiming for his brother.  
Hop raced over, shoving Charizards hands away and putting his body over his brothers. 

“DONT HURT HIM!” Hop prepared himself to face the growing blast that was about to come from the large Pokémon. 

“HOP NO!” You felt panic and fear of losing your best friend rise, giving you courage. You shoved yourself away from Charizard and ran over , putting yourself between Eternatus and Hop. A look of determination to protect those important to you set to your face as the wind kicked up and Eternatus prepared its Dynamax Cannon. Your hat flew off your head, your loose clothing waving wildly in the wind as the attack hit you straight on. 

You yelled out in pain, trying to continue standing as you took the blast head on so Hop and Leon wouldn’t be hurt more. The light was too bright for Hop to turn around but he was worried that your screaming meant you had protected them. 

The light faded and you stumble slightly, catching yourself as you breathed heavily. The edges of your clothing burned and smoked, your skin dirty, scrapped, and burned. You forced yourself after a few moments to stand straight up, giving Eternatus a defiant look. You shouldn’t have survived that attack but somehow you did, may it have been your will to protect your friends or a chance of luck you’ll never know. 

“Y/n?” Hop slowly turned around, Leon peeking up from his brother to see you standing between them and Eternatus. You reached to your pokeball belt and grabbed P/N’s pokeball, letting the P/T out in preparation of battle. 

Hop slowly moved away from Leon over to you, gently putting a hand on your back,then sliding it down your arm to your hand. His touch was light, careful, and as gentle as possible so he would hurt you more than you already were.

“A...are you okay?” He asked, a look of absolute concern and worry written on his face, his voice soft and almost cracking. As he waited for an answer, he reached into his own pokeballs, pulling out his Dubwool. 

“I’m fine…” You didn’t look at him, your gaze fixed on the Pokémon in front of you, “ You should get your brother to safety.” 

“I won’t let you do this alone,Y/N.”


	5. Five Years Post Challenge

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Anytime it mentioned Zamazenta or Zacian it’s written so you can choose which legendary you have. 
> 
> P/N - Pokémon name   
> P/T - Pokémon type/breed

Five years had past since the Gym Challenge where you beat the unbeatable Champion. Now you held that title and many more. Both you and Hop had helped Leon save the region from the Darkest day and even caught matching legendary Pokémon. Both your lives had changed that day and it pushed you both on two separate paths.

Hop, now a Pokémon professor assistant to Sonia, was taking trips to other regions to learn about other various Pokémon and things from other professors. You were in a similar situation but as the Galar regions champion. You were often tasked to solve problems in various locations and had to participate in numerous events. You had also gotten a breeding hobby and spent your time raising Pokémon you bred, giving you next to no free time.

You and Hop kept in contact via rotom phone, calling each other almost every night for the past five years, talking about your respective days and making plans for when you both did see each other again. Sometimes you both were found fast asleep but still in a call, your rotoms plugged in and feeding as they slept with the call playing. You two would often chat about what you would do when you return and see each other again. You both watched each other grow from far away and often confessed to each other how much you missed the other and ached to spend time together as you had once done.

It had been 5 years and some change since you both had last seen each other in person. But today that changed. You were returning home as problems in the region slowed and the gym challenge was out of season. Hop had returned to take his final test before becoming an official professor and help Sonia expand her research.

Hop had returned earlier than you by a few days. He had been allowed off the day you were due to arrive and waited outside the local station as the sun began to slowly set. Hop felt excitement rise in his chest. Despite all this time apart, he still felt strong feelings for you as he had during the challenge. He had made it his goal to finally confess to you sometime before his final test in a week. Despite the few shared kisses and soft spoken words during the gym challenge finals, the two of you never were brave enough to tell each other how you felt. For years Leon teased Hop for it using the picture Melony took. The young man however, got a copy and kept that as his rotom phones wallpaper this entire time. 

Hop thanked himself that he had grown up. He was still enthusiastic and easily excitable but he wasn’t as reckless like his younger self. The young man clasped his hands together lightly and looked up to the darkening sky, sighing. As soon as he had calmed his heart, he heard the train pull up and stop at the station. His heart began to race again as he stood up quickly and watched a few people walk out. None of them being you. It’d be a lie if he said he didn’t feel disappointed. Hop waiting a few moments, turning around to glance over the small crowd. Maybe he missed you passing ? 

You waited for everyone else to get off first to avoid being pushed around by other passengers. You were a little nervous about seeing your best friend again. It had been so long and you both had grown up a lot since you had really spent quality time together. You thought your feelings for him had faded but as you got off the train and thought about seeing him again, your chest fluttered and your face flushed lightly. In your mind, Hop was still the tall goofy kid you knew and loved. You knew full well he had grown even taller and grew out of his lanky body thanks to their video calls, but this would be the first time you saw him all grown up in person. You took a big deep breath of air and let it out as you made your way out the station door. 

Looking around, you tried to spot your friend. You moved away from the door, clutching your luggage in one hand and your other to your chest. You felt a slight panic when you didn’t notice your friend right away. He had promised to meet you here. 

Hop watched as one last person slowly made their way out, looking around as if trying to spot someone. A worried look was set to your face and the sunset shined brightly off you h/c hair. Hop knew it had to be you, the e/c eyes he caught a glimpse of were so familiar to him. He may not have seen you face to face in five years but he knew his best friend anywhere. He cleared his throat and started making his way to you, his coat blowing slightly in the evening wind. Hop tried to contain his excitement as much as possible as not to startle his timid friend.

“H...hop?” You squinted towards the taller golden eyed man making his way over. The man gave you a big old smile, the same smile he always gave you when they chatted via rotom. He moved faster, scooping you up in a big hug and twirling you around. You laughed loudly and dropped your luggage to return the hug.

“Y/N! It’s been so long!!” He exclaimed, causing the attention of everyone around to look at them. He stopped and set you down, his hands gripping you shoulders to keep you steady as you wobbled slightly. You giggled and looked up at him with the warmest smile Hop had seen in years. A small tint of pink dusted his cheeks. The final setting of the sun hit you in such a way you glowed. 

“It’s good to see you too Hop! I’ve missed you so much!” You pulled him in for another hug. This one less intense and much tighter. Hop returned the hug just as tightly. Last time you saw each other Hop was only a bit taller compared to you. Now he towered over you. He never realized how short You really were, and even he was considered short amongst men. It was hard to compare heights when you were so far apart.

You nuzzled your face into Hop, missing his closeness you had when you were younger. You could tell he was much taller and fitter he was than the last time you had seen him. The two of you hugged until the sun had fully set. When they finally let go, nothing seemed awkward or weird for how long you had just held each other. You both looked each other up and down, taking in how much the other had grown. Hop was the first to break the silence. 

“I got here a day or so ago so I’m set up at my place already. You staying with your mom?” Hop asked, grabbing Your luggage off the ground and slinging it over his shoulder.

“I haven’t told her I was coming back for a bit…” you rubbed your arm as the two of you started for the residence area, “ I wanted to surprise her.” 

“I think I remember my mom saying something about your mom taking a trip for the weekend. If she isn’t home you’re welcome to stay at my house.” Hop offered. You looked up at Hop in shock. 

“W...wait she is!? I wanna double check before I take up your offer.” You crossed your arms and tapped a finger to your chin. 

You continued to walk in comfortable silence the rest of the way to your moms home. During the walk, the two of you had grasped each other’s hand lightly. It was almost a natural thing to do and it didn’t seem weird to the other. Hop desperately tried to stop himself from clasping his fingers together with yours to make it seem more intimate and felt slight relief when both made it to the house. You let go and knocked on your mother's door. After five minutes of knocking and trying to see if someone was home, you gave up and made your way to Hops home. You sighed in slight disappointment and suddenly felt nervous and excited to be staying at Hops. The nervous feeling was strange to you since you two had often been extremely close as kids, having sleepovers and holding hands platonically all the time. Nothing should be making this time any different even if you still liked him as more than a friend.

“So when did you move out? I don’t remember you telling me you got your own place nearby…” You asked, twirling your fingers around together and trying to start some small talk. You suddenly felt embarrassed that you hadn’t gotten your own home yet. You spent most of your time traveling and camping or staying with your mom. You definitely were not at the same place as Hop when it came to adulting and you felt left behind in life. Your other friends also had home or were even starting families. All you had done in the last few years was fight with your Pokémon and fill your savings account with quite a bit of money. You were fairly well off but didn’t find it useful to have a home of your own if you were traveling across the region everyday.

“Ah about a few months before I returned from travel from some other regions ? Leon has been taking care of it while I was gone on my various trips.” Hop spoke, looking up as he thought about it, “ I have a spare room so you can stay in there. Should be all set up, and there should be beds in the closet for your Pokémon.” 

Hop led you to a decently sized cottage home just off the path away from town. Much different to the home he grew up in,this one was small and fit for a single guy like him. The yard was clean and growing short grass, deweeded flower beds filled with sweet smelling plants and herbs for cooking decorated the homes edge. He unlocked the rounded dark oak door and held it open for You who made your way in , thanking him as you did a quick shuffle on the welcome mat to clean your shoes off. He followed you in and shut the door behind him, then lead you to the spare room where he set your luggage down. 

You sighed and removed your hat , sitting down on the bed. You glanced down at the floor then up at hop as he made his way to the door of the room once your luggage was in place. 

“Thank you Hop...I do appreciate you letting me stay until mom gets home.” 

He turned to you as you spoke and gave you a soft smile when you were done. 

“Anything for my best friend.” He paused, almost not wanting to just leave you in the room alone , “have you eaten yet?” You shook your head no. Hop began removing his coat as he walked out towards his kitchen just in sight of spare room.

“I’ll make some food for us and our pokemon.” 

“Oh Hop you don’t have to make anything…I have some instant poke meals and I don’t need to eat tonight.. I don’t want to be a bother…” your voice got quiet when Hop moved back to the door and glared at you. You sunk your head into your shoulders, trying to hide yourself from the look your friend gave you.

“You haven’t been eating!?” You shrank away a little and gave him a sheepish smile, “ no wonder you’re so thin now.” He ran a hand through his hair as he made his way back to the kitchen and began gathering supplies for a large curry. You looked down at yourself. Had you gotten thinner ? You hadn’t noticed. You did usually skip a meal or two yourself because you never had the time to make yourself curry… only for your Pokémon. You let your Pokémon team out, getting up to shut the door to the room, suddenly embarrassed that Hop had noticed you weren't taking care of yourself very well.

“I’m going to change real quick then I’ll be out to help you.” You called out before shutting the door fully. (Zamazenta/Zacian) came up to you and gave you a nudge and a small wooo. You patted their snout then scooted over to your luggage, unzipping it and removing some more comfortable clothes to wear and sleep in.

“It’s not easy (Zama/Zac)...I thought my feelings faded away so long ago but… he still makes my heart race…he’s so sweet...and he’s a lot more observant that I remember...” You pulled out a loose tank and loose pajama pants as your sleeping clothes and began changing. P/N made their way to (Zamazenta/Zacian) and watched you change, squeaking at you. 

“ I can’t just… like tell him I still have feelings… we just saw each other for the first time in years…and what if he doesn’t like me as more than a friend...” You pulled your pants up and tugged your shirt down. You scoffed as your other Pokémon agreed, turning your back to them.

“What am I supposed to do? Go up to Hop and be like hi yes I’ve thought you were cute since we were younger and now you’re a hot ass snacc, please take me now?” You turned to look at your Pokémon who gave you a knowing look, 

“Oh Don’t look at me like that… I gotta go help Hop make dinner for you hungry kids...i don’t wanna talk about this with you bullies.” You got quiet again, not realizing how loud you had been. Leaning down you gave each of your Pokémon a small smooch on the top of the head, a typical nightly routine for them. Outside hop heard the later parts of Your conversation with your Pokémon. His face grew red hot as he stared at the curry he was now putting on the stove after putting the ingredients together. Knowing this now would make things easier for him to confess later. Tonight maybe not be the best however as it was late and he was sure both of you wanted some sleep. It seemed like a confession would also come with a long conversation about you both and your shared past.

As You came out of her room, Hop quickly turned around and let his Pokémon out of their balls, then slapped his face a few times to try and clear his mind. He turned back around and picked up a spoon to stir the curry with. His Pokémon watched him closely,wondering why their trainer was furiously blushing at a bowl of uncooked curry, but quickly understanding when they noticed you.

“Oh are you almost done already? I… I didn’t realize it took me that long to change. Sorry.” You looked at the floor and gripped the edges of your tank as you made your way over.

“It’s okay,Y/N. I had some ingredients already prepped since I do meal preps now... plus me making it now makes up for all those times you made it for me when we were younger. I’ve actually gotten pretty decent at making curry” Hop smiled at his friend, using his free hand to ruffle their hair a bit. You swatted his hand away and went to fix your hair.

“I forgot you used to be really bad at making food. We had to meet each other every night during the challenge so I could make you food…” You smiled softly at the memory.

“ I’m better now… I swear” Hop chuckled quietly.

Hop got two bowls for himself and you, then a bunch of Pokémon bowls. Carefully, the golden eyed boy scooped curry into each bowl. You helped him by setting out the bowls for the Pokémon on the floor. 

“Let’s watch some tv as we eat…” Hop grabbed some spoons and brings both bowls to his small living room area a few steps away from the kitchen. He sets the bowls on the coffee table and turns on the tv to some late night show. You make sure all the Pokémon have a bowl before making your way over, sitting next to him and grabbing a bowl. You get a whiff of it and sink into the couch happily next to Hop. The moment feels comforting to both of you. You begin eating and shocked momentarily by how good the curry is. 

“Hop!” You exclaims , swallowing a spoonful. Hop leaned forward to grab his bowl and looked at you. 

“What?” 

“Ish so good!!” You begin shoveling the curry into your mouth, savoring every bite of the delicious meal your friend had cooked for them. You Finished the bowl rather quickly and slumped down into the couch, satisfied. 

“W-was it really that good? I’ve never seen you eat like that before… you’re usually very ...dainty…” Hop gives a shocked look in your direction as he begins eating his portion. You sighed happily and sat up, placing your bowl on the table then pulling your legs up into yourself on the couch. 

“Last time I ate your curry you burnt it.” You glanced over at Hop, “ plus its been awhile since I’ve had someone else’s home cooked meal.”

“Did I? Oops…” Hop quickly finishes his part and sets the bowl on the table on top of yours . He sighs and unbuttons the first few buttons of his shirt as relaxes into the couch, placing one arm stretched over the back of the couch behind you. You blush slightly as you watched him unbutton part of his shirt then quickly look at the Tv when he goes to glance at you. You hug your knees tight and thanks the darkness in the room for hiding your blush. Hop smiles down at you, catching a glimpse of the blush when the tv flashes to different scenes. He looks back up to the tv and you sit in comfortable silence watching. 

It didn’t take long for you to start falling asleep. You nodded your head a few times, trying not to fall asleep, travel took a lot out of you and you hadn’t been under a roof on so long. Eventually you went into a deep slumber and slowly tipped over towards Hop, resting your head on his shoulder/chest area. He looked down and gave you a warm loving smile. The arm that had been behind you wrapped around your shoulder and he gave you a small kiss on the head. 

“I wish I could tell you this when you were awake… but I love you… I love you so much…” he gave a squeeze to your shoulder and relaxed into the couch, allowing himself to fall asleep to the lull of the tv and the soft sounds of his best friend sleeping.

Somehow during the night, the two of you had adjusted and were laying down on the couch. Hop was on the bottom on his back, one arm behind his head while the other held onto you. You lay on top of him mostly, your face resting on his shoulder and chest again, while your leg was posed up and wrapped around his. During the night , Hops shirt became fully unbuttoned and your hand rested on his bare chest.

Leon had come to visit, knocking on the door but getting no answer. The two of you were in a deep sleep, the knocking almost nonexistent to them. After no response , Leon let himself in with his spare key, calling out Hops name. The ex champion picked up the Pokémon bowls off the floor and put them in the sink, then stepped over the sleeping Pokémon to turn off the tv. When he glanced at the couch, he got a mischievous grin and took out his rotom phone, snapping a quick picture and sending it to Sonia. 

“Man Hop, you got lucky last night huh?” Leon spoke rather loudly, gently poking his brother. Hop stirred at the voice and groaned. He took his hand from behind his head and wiped his eyes. 

“Lee? Huh? What are you doing here?” Hop asked groggily. 

“Well you were late for work and Sonia asked me to make sure you were okay…” Leon paused, “but looks like you are more than okay..”

Hop gave his brother a confused look before trying to sit up. He turned his head slightly and immediately saw you on top of him. Glancing down he saw the predicament of you intertwined with him.

“Ah… my shirt came undone… I don’t remember falling sleep last night,” Hop ruffled his own hair and stretched a little, trying not to wake you.

“Don’t worry. Sonia has already given you the day off to spend time with your new significant other.” Leon winked and began for the door. 

“They’re not my significant other… least not yet…” Hop said the last part quietly. Leon turned back and raised an eyebrow. 

“ not your significant other? Haven’t you two been like, ‘secretly’ dating since the gym challenge they won?” Leon asked, trying to expose that everyone thought you two were already together. 

“ what no? What would make you say that?” Hop questioned. 

“ you two always held hands, shared tents, made dinner together… not to mention you both kissing each other every once in a great while when you thought no one was watching…” Leo counted the incidents on one hand as he spoke.

“All of those are totally normal between close friends...though some of those kisses may have been a little complicated in terms of meaning…” hop stared at the ceiling, listening to his brother hum and head to the door, “ wait!” Leon paused as his brother called to him.

“Could you at least help me get them to the spare room? Y/N still out cold and I don’t want to wake them.” Hop begged his brother to help him out of the position he was in.

“Fine fine I’ll help you out lil brother.” Leon gave a joking groan.

Hop scowled at his brother as Leon made his way over and easily picked you up, carrying you to the spare room. Hop got up and ruffled his hair a bit. He stood up and made his way to his room and master bath. Leon quickly peeked in.

“They’re in the spare room all tucked in. I’ll be heading out now to help with the duties you're missing today.” 

“What? Why? I'll head in for work..” 

“No you won’t. Sonia is giving you the day off.. didn’t you hear me? She says you gotta make this work. You two are young and cute still.” 

“Tell her.. I said … uh thank you…” 

“Come in with a significant other. We’re tired of watching you both blush at each other and pretending you don’t have shared feelings while simultaneously holding hands and sharing kissy faces.” Hop scoffed at his brother and threw his shirt at him. Leon laughed and left for the door, locking it after him. The dark haired male stripped the rest of his clothes off and made his way to his master bathroom to shower. Trying to clear his mind of you sleeping on top of him and the things his brother said. He turned the water on and made it as cold as he could tolerate and stood in it, patting his face. It didn’t take long for him to relax and to turn the warmer water on. 

When hop finished his shower, he dried himself and started changing. Shuffling could be heard in the spare room next door as you woke up from your slumber. Hop grabbed some clean clothing and started changing into them. He hoped you would make yourself at home and get yourself breakfast or wait until he was done. Boy was he not expecting you to groggily walk in on him changing to ask him a question. 

“Hoooop…” You pushed his door open and called out his name with a sleepy voice, rubbing your tired eyes, “When did I fall asleep?? I’ll wash the dishes from last night…” you opened your eyes and stared sleepily at him. Hop had at least gotten on his boxers before you opened his door, however his pants weren’t on and his shirt was in his hands ready to put on. He was in a moment of shock that he just stared at You in the doorway. 

It took a moment for you to glance him up and down before your eyes opened wide and your face turned a bright pink. You quickly grabbed the door handle and slammed the door shut while yelling. 

“ AH IM SORRY HOP I DIDN'T REALIZE YOU WERE CHANGING!” You covered your face and leaned your back against the now shut door. His partially nude form burned into your mind and causing your face to reach dangerous levels of heat. Hop’s face grew in temperature as he flushed at the fact You just saw him half nude.The boy put on his shirt and pants, making his way to the door, his face mildly flushed from the incident. 

You had your hands glued to your face as you leaned up against the door still. You were too embarrassed to move yet, your hands trying to sink as deep as they could into your face. Hop opened the door causing you to tip backwards into his chest and arms. The man gave a small grunt of surprise, not expecting you to be right there as he thought you would have run off to the spare room or to the kitchen due to yout timid personality. He looked down at you and gave youna soft smile, trying to comfort you and tease you slightly.

“Maybe you should knock before entering next time…” he teased his friend who peaked at him between fingers. 

“S-Sorry..” You mumbled, turning away from him and shuffling to the couch. Hop watched younand stretched in his doorway. After a few moments of awkward silence, hop spoke up. 

“Do you want homemade breakfast or should we go take a taxi somewhere?” He asked, making his way to the kitchen. He heard You take a deep breath and gently slap your face a few times. 

“I have no preference as long as I get to spend some time with you.” You turned and peeked at him over the back of his couch, your face still beat red. 

“I’ll make breakfast, then we can figure out what to do from there.” Hop began gathering supplies from various points in the kitchen to prep the meal. He could feel Your eyes on him the entire time as you studied your friend who gathered supplies from around the kitchen. You eventually sighed heavily and got up, not making eye contact and making your way to the kitchen sink with the dishes the two had used the night before. You prepped the sink so you could wash the dishes that had been used. The water was mildly loud as it filled the sink and helped drown your thoughts your mind had been filled with. However your clear head didn’t last long as Hop came up behind you to grab pancake mix from the cabinets above the sink. 

You could feel him pressing against you as he reached above your head. You took a deep breath, putting your hands into the hot water of the sink to begin washing the first dish. You tried to distract yourself as Hop continued to stay behind you. Suddenly the drop of a box got your attention as you turned your head to see hop set the box next to you. He didn’t leave. Instead he slowly wrapped his arms around you, hugging you close from behind. He hid his face in your shoulder, looking down into the sink and watching you wash the dishes. You were silently loving this but nervousness was also building up inside you as your friend hugged you close.

“H-hey Hop…” You spoke up, feeling Hop sigh heavily into your shoulder. He grunted his acknowledgment to you. 

“Do you… do you remember during the finals of the gym challenges… w-when we were younger?” You felt hesitant to ask but asked anyways. Hop hummed into your shoulder, glancing up at you with a puppy eyed look. You glanced briefly and breathed heavily out your nose. 

“Y-you… remember when I gave you that kiss on the cheek… and then… then you kissed me?” You felt like your face was on fire, it was terrible. Hop could feel his own face heat up at the memory. That was not only the first kiss they shared but also their first kiss in general. 

You were quiet for awhile, trying to decide where you were going with this. You paused before taking your hands out of the water and drying them on a nearby cloth. You turned around, causing Hop to put his hands on the counter on either side of you. Your faces now inches apart. You quickly looked off to the side and fiddled with your fingers. 

“What’s up, mate?” Hop asked, his voice quiet, soft, and encouraging. His gut was telling him that you were going to say something he had wanted to hear for years. Having you confess first was going to be a surprise to him but made some things easier on him. Hop felt excitement brew in him as he waited for you to say the long awaited words. You quickly turned back around and shoved your hands into the water again, deciding you were not brave enough to continue or confess your feelings.

“I hit on bede!!” You practically screamed at the water, shoving your hands back into the sink and furiously washing the first dish you grabbed. Your face burned like one thousand suns in a small room. 

“W...what??” Hop pushed away from the sink and did his usual pose when he was shocked.


	6. Deck the Halls

Hop gave you a look of utter loss, confusion, and panic. It felt as if his blood ran cold at your words. Did he read you wrong? Did you actually not like him? Was he trying to impress you and flirt with you when you had your heart on someone else? 

“Y...you like Bede??” Hop croaked out, putting distance between the two of you.

“I mean bede is okay so I guess I like him?” You Spoke softly, “but I don’t know if he likes me at all so much..” 

“A..ah.” Hop turned his back to you, not noticing the miscommunication. You quickly finished the dishes and patted your face. You turned to see Hop looking dejected at the food he was preparing. Grabbed the towel from the side of the sink to dry your hands, decided to finish your story you blurted out. Maybe remembering Bede reminded him of how the fairy gym leader beat him in a battle and that’s why he looked sad suddenly.

“When we started our gym challenged...you remember when we had to travel through the wild area when the train got stopped by a herd of wooloo?” You glanced up, setting the towel to the side, unsure if you’re remembering the exact location of this event. Hop grunted in acknowledgement that he knew what you were talking about.

“Then when we finally made it to the other side… Bede challenged you to a battle...you told me that you’d meet me on the route to the next city…” You trailed off, crossing your arms across your chest, “later Bede came up and told me you wouldn’t be coming as I left Motostoke...said he beat you and taught you a lesson…” You gripped your arms, remember the anger you felt when you saw Bede’s smug face tell you that, “I felt such...anger...that he’d talk about you like that...that he had done you dirty…” Hop stopped what he was doing to listen to what you were saying. He hadn’t heard you talk about this before and was a bit surprised that he was hearing this now instead of during the challenge.

“So I hit him in the face and broke his nose…” You glared at the ground, “I’ve never punched someone before nor have I done so since but in that moment I was just… so angry… I’ve never been that angry before…he spoke of you in such a way that just summoned some beast of hate right to the surface of me.” You frowned at the memory, then looked up at Hop. Hop stared at you with a look of relief, shock, and mild horror. A mixture of feelings brew inside as he realized he had misunderstood what you had originally meant and was now mildly scared of ever pissing you off like Bede once had. Not that you worded it exactly right either when you said you hit on Bede, who says they punched someone like that?

“You...YOU punched Bede?” Hop asked, turning his body so he was fully facing you. He remembered seeing Bede rush to the Pokémon center with a broken nose and had assumed Someone else had done something when he finally met up with you that day.

“Yeah.” Summer lightly laughed, fond of the memory of bullying Bede for the way he treated Hop and the world around them. 

“I didn’t know you did that.” Hop smiled, feeling immense relief that You didn’t like Bede the way he thought, “For a moment...I thought you were trying to tell me you liked Bede…” he grew quiet and rubbed the back of his head in embarrassment. 

“Ew what no I’d never like the guy who bullied one of the most important people in my life.” You stuck your tongue out, “I’m offended that's what you thought I meant.” Hop gave an awkward chuckle.

“Plus… there’s someone else I like...well...rather someone I love…” You looked away from Hop, a light blush dusted your cheeks and you smiled fondly. Hop kept his eyes glued to you as you looked away with your gentle smile. His heart gave him a squeeze, feelings of love and adoration for his best friend filling his chest. 

“Y...Y/N” Hop took a deep breath, turning around to turn the stove off that he had turned on earlier to make breakfast. 

“Hm?” You looked back at Hop, curious as to why he said your name. 

“Y/n… I...I need to tell you something.” Hop made his way over to you, gently placing his hands on either side of your face. His hands were warm and soft against your cheeks and you resisted the urge to tilt your head into them while melting.

“Hop?” You questioned, oblivious to his feelings for you as he tried to tell you. Hop leaned his face close to yours, tilting his head slightly , his breath gently blowing against your skin. Your face turned bright red as you closed your eyes, expecting him to kiss you. After a few moments of no contact, you opened your eyes to see Hop giving you a flirtatious smirk. 

“H...Hop?” You stuttered, unsure of what he was doing. 

“Y/n…” Hop gazed at you, his hands sliding down to your hands, uncrossing them, “ I lo …” he was cut off when one of your hands quickly shot up away from his and was placed over his mouth. You took a deep slow breath and nervously stared directly into his eyes. 

“N-not like this … to h-here…” your voice wavered as you tried to be confident with the situation and realizing what was going on, “L-let’s go on a date f-first…” you closed your eyes tightly as you forced yourself to say what was on your mind. Hop tilted his head back up slightly, confused as to why you would stop him as if you knew what he was going to say. Maybe you weren’t as oblivious and shy about your eeper feelings than he thought.

“I need to ...g-get something first before we d-do any of this…” you briefly brought your hands up as much as you could between them and waved them in small circles, motioning to the entire confession scene they were playing out. Hop sighed and rested his head on your shoulder, giving a small chuckle after a few moments. 

“You’re making this really difficult… but a date it is. When and where do you want to go?” head still on your shoulder, he turned it slightly so he could see your face. You looked off into the distant corner and thought, humming as you slid an arm over one side of him. 

“Today. Let’s have a picnic at that cliff near Hammerlock in the wild area that looks out towards the bridge and nursery. There’s a berry tree there too so not hard to miss!” You pulled him up and gave him a hug. Hop followed along with your pulling and rested his head on top of yours as you hugged him. He returned the hug, burying his face into your hair. 

“I just… have something I need to give you that I meant to give you five years ago before...before this moment was or is supposed to happen. I was just so scared, shy and worried back then…” Your voice trailed off as you talked into his chest. Hop hummed in reply and you two sat there for a few more heart beats.

You eventually broke away and turned around again to finish the dishes. As you broke away, Hop grabbed the pancake mix to finish making breakfast.


End file.
